Make It Last
by Major Nine
Summary: Set post DYWM part 2.  Continuation of PaigeAlex storyline.
1. To the Place Where I Belong

**Hey y'all. This is set post DYWM part 2. It's basically what I hope and pray will happen!**

**This is my first fanfic so...be harsh! I need reviews! Thanks.**

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**Chapter 1: To the Place Where I Belong.**

The day began like every other day. The light seeped through the blinds and the honking of horns and bustle of passersby streamed through the slightly open window to Alex's room. If it was possible though, today, for the first time ever, the light seemed brighter and warmer and the hollers and conversation of pedestrians seemed jovial. Alex stood in silent wonder, her head cocked to the side trying to place this new feeling. What was the word to describe this? Was it 'refreshed'? 'Care-free'? Maybe Paige would let her borrow her thesaurus later. The one that she oh-so-hated.

Paige. Ah, the thought of her name made the light even a little bit brighter. She could have sworn she heard laughter come from outside. Laughter? On this block? More common was a cry of despair or a shriek of anguish. Alex shook off the notion and returned her thoughts to Paige.

Last night had been one of the best nights that Alex could remember. Yes, in many ways it had been one of the worst, but three little words that Paige had said seemed to cast an impenetrable shadow over everything else. Last night, Alex left her mom. Last night, she quit a job, not just an ordinary job, but a job as a stripper. Last night, she went to a dance at Degrassi (she could barely even believe that). Last night, Alex lost everything. But it didn't matter. Because last night Paige looked her straight in the eye, hands grasping hers, and said "You have me." And for the first time, though she had no home, Alex felt at home.

Paige hadn't asked Alex any questions. Wanting to save the tears and prying questions for tomorrow, she demanded that they spend the night celebrating, and that Alex spend the night with her. Paige was, to Alex, obviously eager to celebrate the end of Alex's ephemeral existance as Alex by day, Lexstacy by night. Alex had no objections.

She hadn't spoken to her mother since the big fight went down yesterday and she certainly didn't plan to, maybe not ever again. Or, well, maybe not soon, at least. Now, at 8 o'clock in the morning, while her mother was at work, Alex was packing her things. She was moving in with Paige, Marco and Ellie. The day couldn't be any better.

"Gee, Alex. I don't know, we might not have room for all this stuff in our apartment. I'm sorry, hon, but you really can't take all this," Paige grinned mischievously at Alex, then eyed the contents of the small box Alex had packed. In it were some tank tops, a jacket, a few pairs of pants, a couple textbooks, those trademark Alex Nunez silver hoops, a few CDs and a black cowboy hat that looked all too familiar. Alex set the box on the bed.

That was really all she _wanted_ and needed to bring with her. Sure she had photographs of her and her mother and father, some stuff from when she was really little, and some other things that held a little grim significance. But why would she want that stuff? What was the point? To remind her how shitty her life had been? No, the only thing she wanted that held memories was that black cowboy hat. She loved the way it framed Paige's face. She loved the way Paige had worn it to school on their first day as an 'item', the way she strutted around, arm linked in hers, flaunting their newfound relationship. That hat symbolized the beginning of the best thing in Alex's life: her relationship with Paige.

"Oh, Paige, you hide your sarcasm so incredibly well. How _do_ you do it? I'm dying to know." Alex rolled her eyes.

"You're not so good at it yourself, hon," Paige said indifferently, thumbing through a stack of photographs that remained unpacked. "Why aren't you bringing any of this stuff?" she asked, motioning to a pile of various memorabilia.

"I don't want it. I thought its exclusion made that pretty clear."

"Why not?! Alex! Hon, this is your past! You can't just leave it behind like a pair of dirty socks! You _have_ to bring this with you."

"What's the point? To bring back memories of 'Little girl with drunken mother go to the park' and 'Little girl with drunken mother and drunken mother's boyfriend go to the zoo'? No, thanks. I'd rather have the dirty socks."

Paige knew that even though these things were painful, it was part of who Alex was. She didn't want Alex to leave the things behind, so she searched for anything that would convince her to bring it. "Alex, come on. In five years from now, you're going to want to look at this stuff. It will make how far you've come and where you are seem so much better!"

Alex raised an eyebrow. She thought she recognized a hint of something deeper in that statement. "Oh yeah? Hmm..now..where exactly will I be five years from now?" she said, trying to rid the flirtatiousness from her voice, but knew she had failed when smugness took hold of Paige's face almost immediately. Alex tried her best not to smile. But that look that Paige does when she knows she's being flirted with? Got her every time.

"Well, I see a cozy living room..." Paige looked beyond Alex as if she was envisioning the very scene, "...you curled up on a couch by a fireplace with a girl..a very _cute_ girl, might I add."

Alex feigned moderate interest. "Guess I could live with that. I hope she's not blonde though. Blondes aren't my type." Alex scrunched up her nose and slightly shook her head with the last few words.

Paige's eyes rolled upward and she heaved an extremely audible sigh before replying monotonously "Oh, ouch. That stung. Really, Alex. I'm hurt."

Alex chuckled and reached out for Paige's hand, pulling her into a kiss. Alex broke the kiss quickly, not intent on having a long make out session in a rather unromantic setting, but to her surprise, Paige lurched forward, grasping the back of Alex's neck, pulling her in for a deeper kiss. Alex smiled as her mouth moved with Paige's. Paige broke the kiss after what seemed like a full five minutes, and rested her forehead against her girlfriend's. "How do you like blondes now?" She turned, threw an empty box to Alex, and, motioning towards the pile of Alex's past, commanded "Pack it, and let's go." She picked up the box full of Alex's clothing, first stopping to throw the cowboy hat on her head, and disappeared from the room after sending an exaggeratedly goofy wink Alex's way.

Alex chuckled and shook her head, looking down at the photos in her hands. She knew Paige was right. She _would_ look back at this stuff five years from now. She _would_ contrast her present life with her past life, and through that contrast she _would_ be even happier. Paige was always right.

Alex closed her eyes, smiling and thought to herself 'Blonde _isn't_ my type...**Paige** is."


	2. Where You Are is Where I Want to Be

**Chapter 2: Where You Are Is Where I Want to Be.**

Once Alex loaded the last of all two boxes of her things into the car, Paige pulled the trunk shut. She gave Alex a quick squeeze on the arm, accompanied by an eee!-we're-moving-in-together-today!!! kind of look, then scuttled around the car and hopped in. Alex, though, leaned against the back of the car and took a deep breath, looking once more at the building she used to call home. This was it. She was leaving her mother, the only person who had been there through her whole life, whether sober or not. Was she supposed to be sad? She wasn't sure. She didn't _feel_ sad. In fact, she felt liberated. No longer would she have to endure her mother's loser boyfriends, her poor choices, her drunken slurred rants, or her pathetic naivety. She was free of all that. It didn't even bother her that she didn't feel sad either. She was pulled from her thoughts by Paige's cheerful voice.

"Alex, hon, you coming?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry."

She made her way to the passenger's seat and climbed in, buckled the seatbelt and smiled nervously at Paige.

"All set?"

"Yep, let's go."

Paige started the car and turned out of the parking lot. Alex loved to watch Paige drive. Her concentration face was just about the most adorable thing ever. When looking both ways before turning out into traffic, Paige always pulled her bottom lip over her top lip and her eyes always widened slightly. There were so many little things that Alex loved about Paige. She also loved the way Paige frequently turned the wrong directional on, then said 'woops!' and switched it.

Now heading towards the house, Paige began talking feverishly.

"Now, Alex, as you know, all roommates have some basic ground rules. So umm, I might have to kick you out if you don't follow mine. I'll try to be lenient though, you know, the first couple of weeks 'cause I guess I _kind of _like you. But after that, overstep your boundaries and it's off with your head, missy. Okay, well maybe not off with your head, but you know. Some feasible type of punishment will suffice..."

Alex laughed to herself, and looked out the window. Paige continued to ramble on and on. Alex could totally tell that Paige was nervous. When she was nervous, she overused the expression "you know", she spoke rapidly, and she tended to say something outrageous, then would double back and mellow it down a bit. Oh, Alex knew Paige inside out and back again.

"...I get the first shower in the morning, Ellie always gets the last one at night, but Marco has to take Ellie's hair out of the drain, 'cause you know, I will _never_ do it, I mean, I guess if I really had to, I would but...whatever. So maybe you could take your shower after me, or maybe, you know, sometimes we could, you know, well, okay I'm not going to spell it out for you but you know what I mean..." Alex mentally kicked herself for zoning out to think about Paige's nervous habits. She wondered if Paige had implied other activities they could do together while she was zoned.

"...and there's four bedrooms so you can have your own bedroom if you'd like, but I was thinking that, well I was kind of hoping that, you and I could, you know, share a room? I mean, if you're not comfortable with that then, by all means, Dylan's old bedroom has a nice view and..."

Alex lovingly grazed Paige's thigh with the back of her hand, silencing the garrulous girl at once. As the car pulled to a stop at a red light, Paige looked at Alex. Alex looked her directly in the eye and said "Paige, I would like nothing more than to share a room with you."

Paige grinned from ear to ear, looking fully satisfied. She looked straight ahead again, paused for a quick second, then started talking again faster, if it was even possible, than before.

"...take the right side of the bed, because for some reason I always roll to the left and I tend to fall off the bed, you know, it's a nasty habit of mine. I've done it ever since I can remember, you know, and I always get bruises on my knees and when people ask me, I have to say 'I fell out of my bed!' and then they think I'm crazy..."

"Paigggeyyy. You _are_ crazy." Alex, still staring out the window, rolled her eyes in utter amusement.

"Oh, my gosh, Alex, I am so _so_ sorry. I ramble when I'm nervous. I mean - " Paige's head shot over to see if Alex had noticed what she said. She didn't want Alex to know she was nervous.

Alex, without even turning away from the window, smirked. "Relax, kid. You didn't need to say it. I could tell from a mile away." Paige pulled her chin back slightly. She liked it when Alex called her 'kid'.

"Alex, it's not that I'm nervous, it's just that I don't know, I mean, I'm excited, but at the same time, well, I don't know, okay, I guess I'm just the teensiest bit nervous."

Alex turned away from the window as Paige pulled the car to a stop. "Well, what are you nervous about?" Neither one moved from the car. Paige turned to face Alex. She opened her mouth to say something, then froze, trying to keep her thoughts from reaching her vocal cords. "Say what you want, Paige."

Paige hesitated, then proceeded at light speed. "I guess I'm just nervous that you won't feel at home with me. That you won't feel safe. And what if you leave? And what if we get sick of each other? And what if you don't like living with me and find that you just absolutely can't stand me and hate everything about me? And what if we start fighting over the stupidest things, like who left the cap off the toothpaste or who didn't take out the garbage or who didn't vacuum the living room or who...I don't know Alex, I'm just nervous about it all." Paige bit her lip and looked down, awaiting Alex's reply.

Alex chuckled inside. That was what she was worried about? It seemed so juvenile. Like she could ever grow weary of Paige, the one thing that she woke up for in the morning. 'Oh, Paigey', she thought, 'you're too cute for words'. She reached over and pressed a single finger to the underside of Paige's chin and raised her head up.

"Look at me. I don't have anywhere else to go." Paige forced her chin downward, unhappy with the response she had gotten. 'I have nowhere else to go?' Paige thought. 'How lame was that?' Alex once again lifted Paige's eyes to meet her own.

"I'm not finished. I don't have anywhere else to go," she repeated, "and even if _did_ have somewhere else to go, I would still be here with you. Because even the best place in the world isn't a quarter as good as wherever you are. Nothing, and I mean _nothing_, could make me leave." Tears formed at the corners of Paige's eyes. Alex continued, addressing each of Paige's concerns in the order they were expressed, "I won't get sick of you Paige. I couldn't get sick of you even if you _tried_ to make me sick of you. It wouldn't work. And as of right now, I love absolutely everything about you, _even_ the fact that you're a horrible tease. And if we fight over stupid things," she lowered her voice and grinned, "we can make up over stupid things too."

Paige took Alex's hand in hers. They sat there, content to just be in each other's presence. Alex laced her fingers between Paige's and wiped a glistening tear from her cheek. Paige leaned her head against Alex's shoulder.

"Paige."

"Yeah, hon?"

"This? This is perfect."

Paige snuggled closer to Alex.


	3. Come Down Now, They'll Say

**Hey, thanks for all your great reviews! I hope that you enjoy this one...it's my favorite so far. I know I'm spitting these at you kinda quick, but I've had the first three written for a while, so it may (probably not though) be a little bit until the fourth. Keep reviewing! I need all the help I can get! Oh, all the chapter titles are lines from songs, so you can figure those out if you like.

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**Chapter 3: "Come Down Now," They'll Say.**

After spending a few blissful silent moments together, the girls begrudgingly parted and exited the car. Paige opened the trunk and Alex lifted the box that held her clothing. Paige grabbed the other and after awkwardly trying to reach up to pull the trunk down, decided it was best just to come back out to close it.

The two girls turned and looked up at the house. Alex inhaled the brisk air deeply, and blew out a cloud of breath.

"Ready?" Paige asked her.

"More than ready," came Alex's reply. She smiled at Paige and proceeded towards the door.

After several failed attempts to open the door without setting the boxes down, they giggled to each other and Paige hit the doorbell with her elbow.

"Paige! Alex! What took so long? Come on in!" Marco, beaming, ushered the girls in, holding the door open for them. He closed the door behind him then continued. "Alex, your room is the second door on the left," Paige shot Alex a little shake of her head while Marco continued, "Make yourself at home! Oh, I'm so excited. Living with my three best girlfriends? If I weren't gay, my pa would be so proud." Alex smirked, "Yeah, and if we weren't either."

"Umm, Alex, first door on the right, hon. Marco's mistake." Marco turned and smiled knowingly.

"Oooo la la," he said and walked into the kitchen, calling over his shoulder, "Breakfast in 10, okay?"

"Sure, Marco, thanks," Alex replied. She shrugged her shoulders and said "Shall we?"

"We shall, Miss Nunez." Paige smiled ever so sweetly at Alex and led the way to her room, both with boxes in hand. Paige paused on the stairs to shout to Marco to close the trunk of her car.

Alex sighed contently to herself. The stairs felt familiar underneath her feet. They felt like she had been climbing them her whole life, which seemed ridiculous to her because there hadn't even been stairs to her and her mom's apartment. She figured that this feeling was because this was what life was supposed to be like and what her life should have been like. She wished that she had lived in a house. She wished she could have climbed up the stairs each night as a kid, after kissing her parents good night. She wished that each morning, she could trudge sleepily down the stairs, have a breakfast of eggs and bacon, and be driven to school by her mom or dad. She wished that every Christmas morning, her parents would make her wait eagerly at the top of the stairs before she could charge down to open her presents. But no. She had spent almost every evening tucking in her drunken mother on the couch, clearing beer bottles from the coffee table, then exhaustedly making her way to the tiny room that jutted out from the side of the kitchen. She had spent every morning making a sloppy breakfast for herself and her mother, who cringed in pain when the lights were turned on due to a heavy hangover, and stepping outside to begin her long walk to school. She had spent every Christmas watching her mother and her friends and boyfriend drink themselves silly, then tended to her unconscious mother once they had left, present-less and feeling neglected. As she reached the last step, she looked back down at the stairs, thankful for them in a way.

"Umm, Alex, what's wrong?" Paige was alarmed at Alex's glance toward the stairs, which she mistook for uneasiness.

"Nothing!"

"Good, I thought you were going to run back down the stairs and out the door for a second there."

"Hey," she said, making sure to catch Paige's full attention, "I told you, Paige. I would never."

They turned into the first door on the right and set the boxes on the bed. Paige made room for Alex's clothes in her drawers and in her closet, then helped Alex find a rightful place for all her things. She pulled out a pair of Alex's hoop earrings and held them up to her ears, looking in the mirror. She made goofy modeling faces and then said, "Hmm, what do you think? Could I pull off the bad girl Nunez look?"

"Oh, no, Michalchuk. There's only room for one bad girl in this relationship," Alex said as she appeared behind Paige in the mirror, wrapping her arms around her waist and resting her chin on Paige's left shoulder. "Besides, I don't like to share." She playfully pretended to bite Paige's chin, really only chomping at the air, gave her a little squeeze with her arms and then returned to the box. She pulled out the cowboy hat, and turned around.

"Now this? This could work. Ain't nothin' better than a cowgirl, eh?" she said as she placed the hat on Paige's head and winked obnoxiously. Paige giggled. Alex turned back to the box again. Paige's eye caught sight of the smaller box in the mirror.

"Hey, let's look at some of this stuff," she pleaded, and grabbed hold of Alex's arm, dragging her towards the bed to sit down.

Alex looked around, bewildered. "But Paige, where's the couch? And the fireplace? And I thought you said I'd be with a _cute_ girl?" she said, trying her best to be serious.

"Once again. I'm hurt. You got me. Ow, it kind of burns this time," Paige said in the same monotone voice that Alex had heard before. Alex laughed and sat down next to her. "Seriously, Paige, you said we'd look at it five years from now."

"Well, I don't know, Alex..." she trailed off, looking again at the stack of pictures in the box. Her eyes fixed upon one in particular. It was a picture of Alex in her room. It was a tiny room. Alex sat on the bed, which was really more of a mattress on top of a box spring, with a hand outstretched trying to obscure the camera's view of her. She looked so...what was the word? She looked fragile, slightly irritated. She searched for a word that combined both of those, but then gave up. She looked back up at the Alex who sat before her. How different she looked now. So strong and vibrant and beautiful. She looked more closely at the picture. The walls, which should have been white, were a slightly yellowish color, and where they met the ceiling, they were stained brown from leaky pipes. Paige bit her lip. She felt a guilty pang in her heart - why didn't she ask Alex to move in with her sooner? At once, Paige sprung up and sneakily retrieved an old Polaroid camera from her closet, leaving Alex sitting on the bed. She spun around, snapping a picture of Alex. Alex's first reflex was to throw her hand out to hide her face, just like in the old picture, but she failed.

"Paige! What are you doing?" Alex laughed. Paige sat down on the bed next to her, smiling devilishly while shaking the picture until the image appeared and trying to keep it from Alex's attempted snatches.

"If you think you're keeping that picture, missy, you are oh so wrong." Paige stopped shaking the picture. She held out the two pictures for Alex to see. Alex looked at them, puzzled. They were so similar but so different at the same time.

She compared the two pictures. She was in a bedroom in both. The difference? In the old picture, it was a dirty bedroom. Dark and dusty and grim. In the new one, it was clean and bright and comfortable.

She was sitting on a bed in both. The difference? She was sitting on a dingy homemade bed in the old one with a tattered black blanket, and she was sitting on an actual bed with a clean and brightly colored comforter in the new one.

She was trying to cover her face in both. The difference? She looked annoyed in the old one. That's because it was probably Jay who took the picture. She was laughing in the new picture, though she looked a little bashful. That's because it was Paige who took the picture.

Alex smiled, looking down at herself and shaking her head. Then she brought her eyes up to meet Paige's. Paige bit her lip, eagerly and nervously waiting for Alex's response.

Alex contemplated how she should react. She always leaned toward some sort of sarcastic response, that was just her nature, but at this moment she thought it called for something more sincere, though still playful.

She sighed. "Paiggggeee," she drew out the name, "why are you always right?"

"You're looking at a practiced and perfected know-it-all here, hon. It's just who I am," Paige replied with an air to her voice.

Alex rolled her eyes. She noticed that she rolled her eyes a lot when she was with Paige. But it wasn't the way she rolled her eyes when she was with Jay. Jay deserved a nasty eye roll with almost every other comment he made. The eye-rolls that Alex sent Paige's way were always playfully and flirtatiously sarcastic. Alex snatched the camera from Paige's hand with her left hand, grabbing her newly vacant hand with her right, pulling her down on the bed.

"Smile," she said and turned to kiss Paige on the cheek as she took the picture. Alex shook the picture until the two girls appeared, brunette and blonde hair, overlapped and spread out on the comforter, Paige sporting a fully satisfied grin at the realization of Alex's lips on her cheek. They remained laying on the bed, looking at the picture contently.

"Does breakfast in 10 mean anything to you two?" Marco called out from the bottom of the stairs, exasperated. Paige and Alex laughed. Paige lifted herself from the bed and stood up, reaching out a hand. "Come on, hon." Alex accepted Paige's assistance, with the picture still in her hand. An grin formed on Paige's face as she snatched the picture from Alex's hand and headed towards the mirror above her dresser. She tucked the picture in the corner of the mirror as Alex walked towards her.

"In commemoration of our first day as official roommates, I place this picture here in the honor of Miss Alex Nunez, the source of all my pride and pleasure, so that we may look back upon this day as the beginning of something great," Paige said triumphantly, displaying an Oscar-worthy grin.

"You are so incredibly cheesy," Alex smirked, although she was positively glowing inside. She looked closer at the picture.

"Oooh wow, she's cute," Alex said, pointing to Paige in the picture. She felt she hadn't quite reconciled that bit of sarcastic banter they had had before.

"LADIES! IF I HAVE TO ASK ONE MORE TIME..." They grinned at each other, and proceeded towards the kitchen to eat their first official roommate-ish breakfast together. At least that's what Paige called it.


	4. Scars Are Souvenirs You Never Lose

**This is kind of a short one. Look at it as a segway chapter. Bear with me, it'll get better I promise! Read and review! Thanks guys.**

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**Chapter 4: Scars are Souvenirs You Never Lose**

"Marco, hon, I know you tried, but this is unacceptable. You really think we're going to settle for that?" Paige whined as she observed the contents of the plate and mug before her. Two slices of dry, buttered toast and lukewarm, diluted coffee stared up at her. "Do you not realize the significance of the day? This is the beginning of a whole new era..." Paige continued rambling about the magnitude of the day and how it needed to be started off with a proper breakfast as Marco crossed the kitchen and squatted by Alex's side, who was sitting at the kitchen table.

"Psssst," he whispered, stealing Alex's attention from Paige, "See what I've done here? If you ever want Paige to make you breakfast, make her a bad one. She'll never stand for it." He stood up, stretched his hands over his head, puffed out his chest, and just as Paige finished her rant said "If you need me, I'll be in the living room." Alex watched in bewilderment as he left. Marco? Manipulating people? She never thought she'd see the day.

"Eggs fried, scrambled or sunny-side up?" Paige questioned Alex. "Whichever way you take them, Paige."

Paige scrunched up her nose, unhappy that Alex had turned her kind gesture around. "Fine, scrambled it is."

Alex watched Paige as she flitted about the kitchen, frying pan in one hand, spatula in the other. She thought about what Marco said and concluded that Paige was a very high maintenance girl. But her kind of high maintenance was much different from the most common kind of high maintenance. Most high maintenance people required perfection to satisfy them and would demand it from everyone around them. Paige? She, like others, required perfection to satisfy her, but if something wasn't perfect, she would fix it herself. She never called upon anyone else to do things for her. Alex liked that about her.

After a hearty breakfast spent poking fun at and flirting with one another, Paige and Alex settled on the living room sofa, steaming coffee mugs in hand. Now Paige sat cross-legged facing Alex, who slouched against the back of the couch, legs outstretched and ankles crossed. Marco had gone out to meet his mom for coffee and Ellie was still asleep upstairs. They were as alone as alone could be.

Paige started timidly "So Alex, we promised that we'd talk today. So...tell me everything. From the top."

"From the top? Well, umm, I don't really know where to start."

"Okay well, start from when I was at your apartment and the police busted in all 'Cops' style and dragged Chad out." Alex nodded in recognition and told the entire story, leaving nothing out. She watched the emotions on Paige's face turn from horrified to sympathetic and finally to - what was this look? Guilt? What for?

"Alex," Paige began slowly, still trying to process the tall but true tale she had just heard, "I can't even begin to - I don't know what - I am so _so_ sorry."

Alex set her coffee mug down, and moved closer to Paige. "It's all over. Do you see where I am now? This is exactly where I want to be. In a way, I'm thankful that everything happened the way it did. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here, sitting with you, living with you, _being_ with you. This is perfect."

"I know it's better now but, Alex, do you remember what I said to you?" Paige's face displayed a cross between guilt-ridden and horrified. "I told you that you 'had no idea what kind of pressure' I was under."

"Paige, it's okay," Alex said quietly, looking down.

"No, Alex, it's not!" Paige protested. "I was unbelievably selfish! I was complaining about pressure to have grandkids when there you were, about to lose your home. Alex, I feel like the biggest jerk in the world right now, you have no idea. I'm not even worthy of your presence!" Alex could hear the conviction in her voice.

"You can't blame yourself, okay? You didn't know." Alex moved even closer to Paige and wrapped her arms around her. "Whatever happened in the past, is in the past. You're here, I'm here. There's nothing more I could want."

Paige snuggled closer to Alex. Alex's consoling words had relieved her guilt slightly, but the selfish words she said to her would always press on her mind, no matter if Alex had forgotten them or not. She thought about how open Alex had been with her that day. Alex had shared more of her feelings with her in one day than she had in all the time Paige had known her. This was so unlike her. Maybe, just maybe, Paige thought, this change in Alex's life would prove to be more than just a change in location. Maybe she would let all of her inhibitions and pride go and just open up completely to Paige. Paige was excited at the prospect. On the other hand though, the enigmatic Alex was thrilling and frustrating and wild all at the same time. Paige could never decide what she wanted.

Alex reached for the remote that sat on the coffee table, but her efforts were cut short by a restraining hand on her wrist.

"Don't," was all Paige managed to utter before pulling Alex back towards the couch and engaging her in a deep passionate kiss. 'This was the second time Paige had done this today!' Alex thought. Oh, living with Paige would be incredible, she knew. She dug her fingertips into Paige's back slightly, and feeling it arch, pulled her closer, if it was even humanly possible. With locked lips, Paige ran both her hands through the roots of Alex's hair, bringing them to rest on her cheeks. Both girls could feel the electric and chemical currents flowing between them, through their hands, lips - everywhere they came in contact. Paige broke the kiss, inhaling deeply as she did so. Alex sighed.

"Can I watch TV now?"

"Oh, you little...don't even _pretend _like you didn't like that." The frustration in Paige's voice made Alex smile. Alex leaned in to kiss Paige again when a familiar voice broke the mood.

"Whoa, okay, we need some rules around here," Paige and Alex turned around to see Ellie in her pajamas, "No smooching in my presence. Not even a peck on the lips. Cheek? Okay, I can deal with that. No inappropriate touching, no flirting, no references to any inappropriate touching or flirting in the past. As far as I'm concerned, you two are just unusually good friends and roommates."

Paige rolled her eyes and slumped back against the couch. "Wow, Ellie, you're so open-minded. Not the least bit conservative, eh?" Alex smirked.

"Ughh, I need a hetero around here..." Ellie muttered and trudged into the kitchen to fix a cup of coffee.

The door opened, and Marco appeared. Paige and Alex both sighed. So much for alone time.

"Guys! Hey! Guess what?! Bay Street Video was having a sale and look!" he held up a copy of When Harry Met Sally on DVD, "4 bucks!" His excitement was hilarious, and all three of the girls couldn't help but laugh. "Tonight, okay? Ellie, call Jesse. Paige, call Alex." Alex raised an eyebrow, and Marco caught sight of her "Oh, Alex! Ha! Wow, I already forgot you live here now," he turned his attention back to his original thoughts, "Happy couples, Marco, Harry, Sally and popcorn. What could be better!?"

"I can think of a few things," Ellie mumbled, grabbed the phone and, slipping into the laundry room, called to invite Jesse. Marco took off his coat and scarf, laid them on the counter then busied himself in the kitchen.

Paige and Alex settled back on the couch. Paige grabbed Alex's hand, interlocking their fingers. "Oh no! Watch out! Here comes Ellie!" Alex joked. Paige laughed.

Paige lowered her voice. "We can torment her tonight," she said, lifting her eyebrows twice to make sure Alex caught her drift.

Alex smiled devilishly. "I like the sound of that..."


	5. Got Me Ten Feet Off the Ground

**Here's a nice long one for you - a lot more action (i guess?) than characterization in this one. Might not be what you expected. Read and review please! You guys are great. Thanks!**

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**Chapter 5: Got Me Ten Feet Off the Ground**

Later that night, Paige scurried about the first floor of the house, tidying, dusting, cleaning, and returning things to their rightful places. Alex watched from the couch, amused.

"Paige. Hey," she said, attempting to catch Paige's attention, "You do know that it's just Jesse coming over? The rest of us already live here."

"Are you really content living with all this stuff lying around?" Alex exaggerated a scan around the room. The place was virtually spotless. Before Paige had begun her compulsive cleaning, the place was already just shy of virtually spotless.

"Umm, Paige? Are you serious?" Paige set down the roll of paper towels in her hand, and took a seat next to Alex on the couch. Changing the subject, she said, "Say what you just said again."

Alex, completely perplexed, raised her eyebrows and said, "What - I said 'are you serious?'"

"No, before that."

"Umm...yeah, I don't know, what did I say?"

"Something like...'the rest of us live here already'."

Alex, still confused, smirked and said in her squeaky voice "The rest of us live here already," she continued in her normal voice, "What was that for?"

"I just like to hear those words coming from you," she paused then continued, "Alex, we _live_ together now. This is, extraordinary, this is _beyond_ extraordinary...it's just..."

The opening of the front door interrupted the completion of Paige's sentence. A gush of cold air filled the room, and Jesse appeared, shivering and stamping the snow from his boots onto the rug.

"Man, Toronto winters, eh?" He smiled his charming smile at Paige and Alex. Paige sprung up off the couch. "Jesse! Long time no see! How have you been? What are you up to?"

"I've been great, you know, just been busy with work and such. How are you doing?" He unraveled the scarf from around his next and removed his jacket, holding it up as if to say 'Where should I put this?'.

"Oh, I'll take that!" She took his jacket and continued, "I'm fine. It's been a little crazy the past few days but things are settling in at the store." Alex, bored with the small talk, turned the TV on.

"That's good to hear," he paused, "You look really nice, Paige." Alex's attention sharpened at this, though she remained apparently fixated on the TV. Paige smiled, half cocked her head to the side, "Thanks." She gazed intently at him for a second before looking down to observe her appearance.

"Oh my gosh. I'll be back," she said hurriedly, after realizing that she was wearing plaid pajama pants and a sweatshirt and her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail. As she climbed the stairs to change, she wondered if Jesse meant what he said, or if he was being sarcastic. Even when she was dating him, she had never been sure of his sincerity. He was so overly charming that she wound up believing almost everything he said. She abandoned the thoughts when she saw the picture of her and Alex, tucked in the corner of her mirror. 'Who cares about Jesse' she thought, 'Look who I've got now.' She grinned at the picture, admiring the way Alex's eyes were just barely open. She glanced at herself and the mirror and figured that Alex was probably not too pleased with her current appearance, and proceeded to fix it, applying makeup, letting her hair down and changing into a small t-shirt and pink sweatpants.

Paige made her way downstairs, reaching the last step to find a lip locked Jesse and Ellie.

"Ell! Excuse me, but ground rules are ground rules! They go for you, too!" Ellie rolled her eyes at Paige's facetious comment, then smirked at the quizzical look on Jesse's face. Paige joined Alex on the couch as Ellie explained the ground rules to Jesse.

"Hey," Paige said as she linked her arm underneath her girlfriend's.

"You changed," Alex said, observing the freshly applied makeup, neat hair and colorful clothes. Alex preferred the way Paige looked right before she went to bed. Freshly cleaned, makeup less face. Messy hair thrown on top of her head. Big sweatshirt and pajama pants. A little tired, and a little vulnerable. Alex always thought that Paige had so much natural beauty that she didn't need makeup or fancy clothes. No matter how many hints she tried to make at this preference, Paige always assumed that Alex liked her when she was dolled up. Don't get her wrong, Alex certainly appreciated the way mascara could accent those beautiful sky blue eyes and the way her long wavy hair framed her face. She loved the way a dress hugged her curves just so and she loved the way her ass looked in a pair of tight jeans. But, the way she saw it, Paige had two kinds of beauty. 'Trying' beauty, and 'not trying' beauty. Alex much preferred Paige's 'not trying' beauty. She felt that when she was sporting her 'not trying' beauty, Paige was really herself; not pretending, not deceiving - just herself.

"Yeah, well I looked like death warmed over."

"I thought you looked nice," Alex shrugged, still fixated on the TV. Paige remained silent. Alex was so frustrating to her. She always said things like that. She always implied that she'd rather Paige look a mess Not that it was a bad thing necessarily. In fact, it might be the best compliment you can receive - to be told you look nice when you're wearing scrubby clothes and no makeup. But Alex never appreciated it when she cleaned herself up a bit. 'One would think that I would look even _better_ to her with makeup,' Paige thought. She sighed.

"Paige! Why the long face!" Marco exclaimed as he, Jesse and Ellie joined the two girls in the living room, "We're about to watch practically the greatest movie ever made." Paige shook her head as if she was coming out of a trance, then smiled brightly and said "I'm totally ready. Let's start this thing!" Marco put the disc in the DVD player then settled himself excitedly in the armchair. Paige laughed inwardly at Marco's behavior. He was acting so...little kiddish? Must be the effects of pining for Dylan. She mentally kicked herself for laughing; that really wasn't a funny matter at all. She turned her attention to the movie.

Jesse and Ellie occupied the loveseat. Ellie was curled up comfortably in Jesse's arms, leaning her head against his shoulder. Paige and Alex occupied the couch. Paige sat upright, though slouching into the back of the couch. Alex lay on her side with her head in Paige's lap, Paige lazily and subconsciously stroking her fingers through Alex's hair. Marco sat in the armchair, his eyes glued to the screen, popcorn bowl in hand.

"Waiter, there is too much pepper on my paprikash," Marco said along with Billy Crystal. He had been mouthing the words to the entire movie, and now, growing tired of that, had started vocalizing them as well.

Jesse caught Paige's eye, then motioned towards Marco with his eyes, smirking.

"It's like, his favorite movie ever. Don't ask," Paige whispered, giggling.

"Why does that not make sense to me?" he whispered back. Paige, assuming that he was taking a jab at Marco's sexuality, feigned surprise, reached into the popcorn bowl that had come to rest at her feet, and tossed some popcorn at him. He reached out a hand to block the kernels, and said, laughing "I didn't mean it like that!"

"Do you two need some time in the corner?" Marco asked, apparently irritated with their antics.

"Yes, please!" Jesse said almost automatically, then laughed heartily when Paige turned around, face molded into fake disgust combined with shock, and chucked a poorly aimed pillow at him. In her clumsy attempt to throw the pillow, she clipped Alex, whose head still lay in Paige's lap, in the forehead with her elbow.

"Awesome," Alex said sarcastically, lifting her head out of Paige's lap, and sitting upright. Paige looked at Jesse with that familiar 'oops' face that she frequently used. Ellie, who had been half asleep, rose at the commotion. Alex rubbed her head, said "I'm going to get a drink," made deliberate 'come with me' eyes at Ellie, then left for the kitchen. Ellie becoming a little more alert, rubbed her eyes, and said "Bathroom break." Paige looked uneasily at Jesse, who returned the look, then they both released a chuckle.

"Guys!" Marco snapped. They suppressed their laughter at once, returning their attention to Meg Ryan's monologue.

In the kitchen, Alex filled a glass with water, took a sip then leaned against the counter, placing both hands on the edge. Her expression was not happy. Ellie was a little bit intimidated. "What's up?" Ellie asked.

Alex kept her voice low, so as not to be overheard. "Umm, hello? Do you really need an explanation? I guess I could give you a tour of 'Flirtville' in there, I have a brochure right here."

"Oh, yeah, umm, I was kind of out of it. What happened?"

"Your boyfriend plus my girlfriend, who so conveniently happen to have had a relationship in the past month, equals incessant flirting - right in front of me!" Ellie could hear the aggravation in her voice.

"Whoa, totally missed that," she paused for a moment, "Then what are we doing out here? Giving them free time to flirt behind our backs? That's not so smart."

"Good point," Alex said. Ellie could tell she was searching her mind for what to do in this situation. "Well, keep your boyfriend away from my girlfriend, okay?"

Ellie cracked a smile. "Well, keep your girlfriend away from my boyfriend!" In any other situation, Alex would have chuckled at that. But she was too worked up about this. Maybe it would be a little more tolerable if it weren't the exact day that they had moved in together. Probably not, but maybe. Ellie and Alex walked back into the living room. Ellie sat back on the loveseat and pulled Jesse into a kiss, as if to refresh his memory of his current girlfriend. Alex did the opposite. She was in a less tolerant mood. Paige was curled up on the left side of the couch. Alex slumped into the middle of the couch, not touching Paige, but also not making it obvious that she was pissed. Paige didn't even seem to notice.

"I love that you get cold when it's 71 degrees out..." Marco recited along with the movie. Alex couldn't wait for it to be over.

Somewhere during the remainder of the movie, Paige moved closer to Alex, in an attempt to snuggle up next to her. She leaned forward, expecting Alex's arm to extend around her, and when it didn't, she slumped back against the couch. 'Odd' she thought, but then didn't think anything else of it.

As Marco wiped tears from his eyes and picked up pieces of thrown popcorn from the carpet, Jesse and Ellie said their goodbyes.

"Bye Jesse! It was fun tonight!" Paige said. "Yeah, we'll do it again sometime," Jesse replied, with a smile. Alex gave Ellie a look. Ellie returned it, then in attempt to break her boyfriend's gaze at Paige, grabbed his hand and said "Drive careful, okay?" And with a peck on the lips, he left.

The three girls and Marco all headed up the stairs. Paige turned right from the top of the stairway. Alex made a left. Paige turned around, conscious that her girlfriend wasn't behind her, and said "Alex, this way, hon. How soon you forget."

"I think I'll sleep in Dylan's room tonight..." Alex gave Paige a cold look, then turned around and disappeared into the bedroom, leaving Paige hurt, confused, standing in the hallway.


	6. And If I Go, I'll Know, Forever Love

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**Chapter 6: And If I Go, I'll Know, Forever Love**

Alex closed the door behind her, and leaned her back against the door. She took a deep breath. Walking away from spending her first official night with Paige, sharing a bed with her, and waking up next to her in the morning? That was the hardest thing she had ever done. But she needed to. She needed to make sure that Paige wasn't just going to walk all over her. Incessant flirting with ex-boyfriends in Alex's presence was intolerable. Paige has her rules, Ellie has her rules, Alex needed her own rules. A picture of Paige and Dylan stared at her from his desk. She sighed, frustrated with her choice, and walked to the closet to find sheets for the bed.

Paige sat on her bed, elbows on her knees, propping her head up with her hands. She closed her eyes. Watching Alex turn her back on their first official night together, in the same bed, with the same blanket, the same everything? That was the worst disappointment she had ever felt. But she deserved it. The look on Alex's face as she said 'I'm going to sleep in Dylan's room tonight' was as transparent as it could be. Paige knew she'd messed up. She sat there, feeling helpless. What could she do to fix this? Her eyes caught the picture of Alex, shielding her face from the camera. She bit her lip, frustrated with herself, and walked to the mirror to take the makeup off of her eyes.

Once Alex had finished putting an old sheet on the bed, she threw herself onto it. Lying flat on her back, she looked up at the ceiling. A war raged in her mind. Questions launched full frontal attacks on her mind, while potential answers shot back. Does Paige even know what she did? Probably not. Maybe. Oh, she knows exactly what she did. Does she feel bad? Doubt it. Maybe. She's probably about to burst through the door. A hopeful pause, Alex raised her head in anticipation that Paige might actually burst through the door. No such luck. What would she do if Paige were to burst through the door? Should she welcome her with tears in her eyes, apologizing for her stubbornness? No. Definitely not. That's out of the question. Should she ignore her? Tell her to leave? Maybe she would try to talk to her? She had no idea. But she knew that she was not going to give in. Paige would have to come after her.

Paige lay on her bed, curled up on her side, staring at the picture of Alex that was tucked in the corner of her mirror. She should have been next to her. Paige should have had her arms around her. But she knew that that wouldn't happen tonight. She had gotten what she deserved. She recalled the night's events. Why had she been so keen to talk to, to flirt with, to joke with Jesse? Was she still attracted to him? She could find no reason why she would be. He was with Ellie, she was with Alex, and on top of that, the two had nothing in common. She had told Alex that herself. Paige couldn't decide what was best for her to do, but she knew she had to do something. Should she respect Alex's decision and grant her space for the night? Or should she charge in there and let Alex know that she cares and that she's sorry and that she messed up royally? The choice was so obvious.

Alex closed her eyes. She had given up hope that Paige would resist her silent treatment, and tried to clear her mind to get some rest. She would need it.

Paige lifted herself from the bed, took a deep breath, and headed towards the door. This was going to be a long night. She could feel it.

Alex turned over on her side. She was unable to keep her mind off of the way Paige looked at Jesse that night. It made her sick.

Paige's hand closed around the doorknob. She opened the door quietly, tiptoed down the hallway and pressed her ear to the door of Dylan's old room. Silent.

Alex had thought she heard footsteps. Impossible. It was just her mind. As soon as she had fully convinced herself that the footsteps were merely false hopes, the door swung open.

Paige stood in the doorway. Alex, lying on her side with her back facing the door, fought every urge she felt to move. She was determined to keep her composure.

"Alex," Paige's voice sounded desperate. Alex shuddered slightly. "Alex, are you awake?" She waited for answer that didn't come. "Alex," she said again. Alex fought the temptation. She had to play this right. "Can we talk?" Alex took this as her cue.

"What about?" she mumbled.

Paige sighed in relief, just happy to hear Alex speak to her, though the words were full of contempt.

"Alex, this is just wrong! We should be across the room, sleeping! Together! As a happy couple spending our first night as roommates!" The desperation in her voice heightened.

"Oh, really Paige? Cuz I think that _that _would just be wrong," Alex spat back. She had rolled over to her other side and was now glaring at Paige.

Paige looked up, smiling in disbelief, and shaking her head, brought her focus back to Alex. "Why? Alex, why? What could be wrong about that?"

"God _damn_ it, Paige!" Alex pulled herself into a sitting position. "Can you for once in your life take some responsibility for what you do? You seriously can't tell why I'm angry?"

"No, I know..." Paige looked down, "I just..." Alex jumped at her hesitation. "You know what would be wrong with that Paige? The fact that while we would be sleeping in the same room, sharing the same bed; maybe I would have my arms around you and maybe you'd lean your head on my shoulder; but that whole time? You would be sitting there wishing it were Jesse, wouldn't you?" Her face was turning a shade of deep pink. The sound of muffle footsteps on the stairs alerted them that they were now alone to say whatever they want and not worry would Marco and Ellie would overhear.

Paige clenched her fist. How dare she question her feelings for her? Okay, she knew she had flirted with Jesse tonight but for God's sake, she hadn't asked him to move in with her!

"Alex," she said slowly and deliberately, "You _know _that's not true. I can't believe you would even suggest that! In fact, do you know? That when I was dating Jesse, every time his arms were around me, I pretended it was you? And I wished it was you? And a few times, I fell asleep there and when I woke up, I turned around, expecting to see you? And when that happened, do you know what I did? I went home and I stayed up all night, clutching that old movie premiere ticket, looking at pictures of us together and listening to that CD that I almost stole, wishing that it was your arms that I fell asleep in during boring movies, and your arms that would be wrapped around me in the morning," she paused, "I didn't ever want to tell you that. How do you feel now, Alex?"

Alex, whose eyes had been locked on her lap, looked up slowly, looking Paige in the face. Was she serious? Or was she just saying whatever she wanted to hear? She pulled her eyebrows down, as if it would help her understand.

"Why did you not want to tell me that?" Alex asked. Paige loosened a little at the absence of hostility in Alex's voice.

Paige opened her mouth to say something, but paused. She summoned the right words, then continued. "I didn't want you to know how much I need you." She looked down in shame, awaiting Alex's response.

They sat there in the silence. Alex's mind was at war again. She was finding it increasingly difficult to still be mad at her. In fact, she even found her reason for being angry silly. Here she was, mad that her girlfriend had been joking and goofing around with an ex-boyfriend when not even a week ago, his girlfriend had been lying in his arms, wishing she was in someone else's. Now that was a reason to be mad. This was not. But then she remembered the way Paige had changed her clothes for him. 'Well,' she thought, 'if I were to have seen Carla tonight, I probably would have wanted to look put together, happy, and neat. I wouldn't want her to think I was a mess without her. Maybe that was Paige's intent'. This was enough rationalization for Alex.

After several silent moments, Paige started to get nervous at Alex's seeming lack of response. Until she felt a warm hand on hers. Her eyes moved to the source of the contact and she smiled slightly, happy to see Alex's fingers intertwined with her own, then looked up into wide, sincere, chocolate brown eyes.

"Why?" Alex asked, innocently.

Paige collected her thoughts then said, "I didn't want you to know because," she said slowly, choosing her words carefully. She opened her mouth to continue, then abandoned the attempt. "Okay, there's really not any good way to explain this so...just bear with me, okay?" Alex nodded. "Okay, say we break up (hypothetically!) in a year or something. Say I told you that I need you and that I can't imagine being with anyone else because it just feels wrong and boring. How am I ever supposed to have a relationship without you in the back of my mind always? And even worse, how am I supposed to have a relationship without you looking at me and _knowing_ that my heart is not in it. Knowing that I'm just going through the motions because I can't have what I'll always want and need, and then laughing at me because I'm a desperate fool," she continued, "But I don't care about any of that now, because if that's the way it's going to be, then that's the way it's going to be. Alex, I need you. You're not just a desire or an object of lust anymore, not that you ever were only those things. And I want you to know that I will always need you and always want you, everywhere I go, everything I do. So if we break up in say, a year, and I'm in a new relationship, know that I am not into it. I'm not happy. I would so much rather come home to you every night and wake up with you in the morning. God, Alex, you're..." she paused, noting the softness in Alex's eyes, "the only reason I even wake up in the morning!" Alex was looking down now. She smiled, gave a slight chuckle then wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

"Look at me," Paige commanded. Alex lifted her eyes to meet Paige's. They stayed locked in that moment for several seconds, brown eyes searching Paige's blue ones, as if they were a passage to her soul. Paige said the words slowly, "I love you, Alex."

Their stare intensified for a fraction of a second before Alex released her hand from Paige's, and clamped both hands on either side of Paige's face, pulling her into a deep open-mouth kiss. Paige edge herself closer to Alex, deepening the kiss. She covered Alex's hands with hers then slowly moved them down her forearms. Paige broke the kiss and leaned her forehead on her girlfriend's, beaming. Alex moved her face away from Paige's, their eyes still fixated on one another. They sat there in the silence. Alex lifted a single hand to the side of Paige's face, stroking her cheek.

"I love you too, Paige. I love you more than I ever thought possible," Alex said.

The sincerity with which she said it caused Paige's heart to throb. It was like pain. But it was a good pain. It's the pain you feel when you love someone so strongly but you know they'll never know exactly how much and you don't know what to do to convince them. Paige felt it coursing through her whole body.

Alex felt as if she could die right then and she would be okay with it. Paige said the words that Alex had been waiting to hear ever since she made a fool of herself outside The Dot. She knew in the back of her mind that it was always there, but she was frustrated because Paige could never bring herself to say it. Now, she knew, Jesse was no longer a threat to their relationship. Paige could flirt with Jesse all she wanted, but in the end, Alex knew that Paige would always come back to her. And vice versa.

Paige stood up, holding out her hand to Alex. Alex took it, and allowed Paige to lead her through the door, across the hall, and through the open door to Paige's room. Well, not Paige's room. _Their_ room.

Hand in hand, they climbed into the bed, pulling the comforters snug around their shoulders and curled up on their sides facing each other. Paige draped her arm across Alex's waist. Alex rearranged a loose piece of hair that had fallen in front of Paige's face. They lay there looking at each other, feeling the other's heart beating and the collapsing and expanding of each other's lungs. They lay there reveling in the warmth of the other's embrace. They lay there, looking at one another as if they were the only two people on the planet, and nothing else in the world existed.

Paige eventually closed her eyes, unable to battle her heavy eyelids. Alex remained gazing at her girlfriend intently. This girl was her soulmate, she knew. "Paige," Alex whispered. "Hmm?" Paige responded lazily.

"Forever," was all she said.


End file.
